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Artist Spotlight: Sacral Crown

Sacral Crown, a producer/DJ hailing from Ann Arbor, MI, has been busy this summer. He just returned from Electric Forest, where he was hustling the good old fashioned way by playing at campsites and spreading his music from ear-to-ear. On top of that, he released a charitable EP titled In Memorium. All proceeds from the album will be donated to Haven, a Southeast Michigan charity that helps victims of abuse.

“I’m financially stable right now and it feels good to give back,” Sacral Crown said. “I grew up in an emotionally neglectful home and it’s nice to be able to give back to those who were in less fortunate situations than I was.”

With a vibrant, psychedelic sound, Sacral Crown has shaken up the scene from the midwest to the east coast. You can catch him on tour this summer everywhere from Michigan to Florida (see tour dates at the bottom), but first let’s get to know the man behind the music.

https://soundcloud.com/sacral-crown/sets/in-memoriam-ep

Who are you?

I’m a poet, writer, emcee, music producer, lover, and light warrior.

Where did the name Sacral Crown come from?

I chose this artist name based upon two of the chakras, the Sacral Chakra and the Crown Chakra. The Sacral Chakra is associated with the pleasure/happiness centers of the body. The Crown Chakra reflects our connection to spirituality. So to me, Sacral Crown means happy spirituality, or pleasurable enlightenment.

When did you start experimenting as an emcee or making music of any kind?

When I was 16. I became involved with a program called ‘MC Workshop’ over at The Neutral Zone in Ann Arbor.

When do you feel you gained the confidence to share your music with people?

‘MC Workshop’ was a great help with stage performance, teaching me how to feel comfortable on stage, and how to project my voice. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Who are you listening to most these days?

Kalya Scintilla, Papadosio, Tipper, Flying Lotus, Thriftworks, Freddy Todd, the entire Australian glitch scene. I mean, I DJ a lot, so my taste is very wide and I can do this for days.

What is music (to you)?

Self-expression for peace of mind.

Who/what has been your biggest musical inspiration?

My brother. His passing at a young age jumpstarted me into chasing after my own dreams.

Do you perform? What’s it like?

As much as I can — I love it. Performing as an emcee is fun, and technical, and you have to focus on your breath control. A lot of that comes in the writing process and writing in breaks to breathe. And DJing, man, that’s a whole different art form. I love that too, but it’s not as stressful for me. I get to kick it and play my favorite songs for friends and cool new people. Chilling no doubt.

Where is your favorite place to write music — what is that experience like?

I like being by myself in a quiet setting. Where that happens to be doesn’t matter all that much. I’ve written songs in friends’ studios, I’ve written songs at home, I’ve written on the bus, I’ve composed in my car with no air conditioning in the middle of a Georgia summer. Whenever I get the urge, I stop what I’m doing and get to it. That’s love.

Advice for fellow up-and-coming artists?

The first thing I would say is: work. Don’t worry about perfecting what you do, nothing is perfect, so just work at it. The next most important thing is learning to let go of what you’ve made. It’s hard, because every artist wants every part [of their music] to be perfect, but that’s not the nature of things. So let go, learn from the mistakes, and do better on the next project.

The next piece of advice is related to getting gigs. Create your own gigs: throw house parties, get in touch with local venues, invite your friends, throw free events. And finally, don’t forget why you started. Music and life as a whole can get difficult at times. Push through, work hard at your craft, go out and get gigs and be proud of yourself and your contribution to society. Do it for the love and the love will flow right back.